Columbia University begins suspending Israel-Hamas war protesters after ultimatum to disband camp
The Hindu
U.S. colleges face protests over Israel-Hamas conflict, with students defying orders to disband encampments.
Colleges around the U.S. implored pro-Palestinian student protesters to clear out tent encampments with rising levels of urgency on April 29 as police arrested more demonstrators at the University of Texas and Columbia University said it was beginning to suspend students who defied an ultimatum to disband the encampment there.
Dozens of law enforcement officers, many in riot gear, confronted protesters who returned to the University of Texas at Austin on April 29. They quickly arrested six demonstrators and took others into custody one by one. Officers used pepper spray after a group of protesters blocked the path of a police van carrying demonstrators who were arrested. The crowd backed away but continued to block the exit from campus. Officers then used two flash-bang explosives to clear a path so the van could leave.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott reposted on social media a video of troopers arriving on the 50,000-student campus. “No encampments will be allowed," Mr. Abbott said. Just last week, hundreds of police pushed into protesters at the university, arresting 34 people.
At Columbia, student activists defied a 2 p.m. deadline to leave an encampment of around 120 tents on the school’s Manhattan campus. Instead, hundreds of protesters marched around the quad, clapping, chanting and weaving around piles of temporary flooring and green carpeting meant for graduation ceremonies that are supposed to begin next week.
A handful of counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags, and one held a sign reading, “Where are the anti-Hamas chants?”
The university didn’t call police to roust the demonstrators. But three hours after the deadline passed, school spokesperson Ben Chang said Columbia had begun suspending students. He didn’t indicate how many students were involved. He also didn't say how the suspensions would be carried out or whether suspended students would be ejected from the campus.
Mr. Chang said that while the university appreciated the free speech rights of students, the encampment was a “noisy distraction” that was interfering with teaching and preparation for final exams. The protests also made some Jewish students deeply uncomfortable, he said.